This may come as no surprise, but I love technology! I honestly could not function in my personal life without my iPhone, and am growing more and more attached to my recently acquired iPad. As dramatic as it sounds, I depend on my iPhone to alert me 30 minutes before every appointment, 1 day before every friend or family member’s birthday, and any time someone needs to send what is most likely useless information my way. If it weren’t for the voice navigation feature in my Mapquest app, I probably wouldn’t have made it home today. Technology plays a large role in my professional life as well. The only difference is, I’ve had to learn how to adapt and survive without it. 

The biggest problem with technology in my professional life is that there isn’t enough of it. Yes, we have access to computer labs and laptop carts at my school and quite often, they are in working order. But there are just so many days when my students would benefit from utilizing technology and they just can’t. Sometimes it’s because the lab is booked, while other days the servers are down or the laptops are broken. Don’t even get me started on fact that my students are missing out on all those fabulous apps I have on my iPad. What’s a teacher to do? Well, have them bring there technology!

Near the end of the school year I came across this article and thought, "well, why not?" I experimented briefly with allowing my students to work in groups on a QR code hunt using their Smart phones. While it wasn’t the smoothest day, they had a blast being able to use their phones in class and not be reprimanded. This is something I definitely plan on exploring further next fall.

Welcome to my blog!

This is a place for communicating about how 21st Century Skills effect the environment of a high school classroom, particularly in the fields of literature and writing. While I am far from an expert in the field of technology, it is a huge part of both my life and the lives of my students. Through my graduate course work, student recommendations, and a little bit of trial and error, I am constantly exploring ways to integrate some of my favorite elements of technology into my classroom. Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my blog!